Eighty-six years ago, police discovered a bloody crime scene in Quiet Dell on the property of serial killer Harry Powers.

Today, local rock band “The Grey Agents” release a new single depicting that slice of local history and a video filmed at the same location.

“It’s such a fascinating story and to think it happened right here,” said the band’s drummer, Bob Workman.

“The Murder Farm (Hammer to the Head)” has the underlying tone of classic ‘50s rock and roll found in much of TGA’s music, but with an edge of creepiness.

That was by design and the sound comes courtesy of Davin Seamon, keyboardist for TGA.

“We gave him an idea of what we wanted and he took it to a completely different level,” Workman said. “The first song we were kind of listening to – to get that creepy vibe – is ‘Rain on the Scarecrow’ by John Mellencamp, but ours is creepier because we wanted it to be.”

But even before the cutting of the track or the stacking of musical elements was the penning of the tune. For that, lead singer/guitarist Brian Cottrill gets the nod.

“He and I had both been reading books about (the Harry Powers murders), although Brian took it much further than I did,” Workman said. “He read three or four different books and articles. Everything in the lyrics is true.”

There is so much information in the lyrics, in fact, the band has added informational blurbs to tie it all together.

“We put this song out with so much explanation, we didn’t think people would really believe it so we tried to match the story blurbs to the lyric – kind of like an old pop-up video,” Workman said.

Also appearing in the video – and part of TGA – are John Farmer and the band’s newest musician, Phil Wyatt. Farmer plays bass and Wyatt mans a special instrument brought in just for this video shoot - the timpani drum.

The band has been working on “The Murder Farm” for about four months. The idea first came up when the guys were recording at their studio at the Cottrill house, just about a mile from where Powers committed the murders of two women – Asta Eicher and Dorothy Lemke, as well as Eicher’s three children.

Powers was an alias for the murderer, born Herman Drenth and also known as Cornelius O. Pierson and A.R. Weaver. Powers – who lured his victims through “lonely hearts” ads, claiming he was looking for love – was put to death via hanging for his crimes.

The story forms the foundation for “The Night of the Hunter” by Davis Grubb, which in 1955 was adapted to a film starring Robert Mitchum. It has been featured in various other works.

From what the musicians can tell, the murders took place near what is known as Suds Run, the area where they set up in mid-October to shoot the video, which can be seen below. The single can be purchased for $.99 at Amazon.com and will soon be available at iTunes.

The Grey Agents released their first recording project, “Classified Misinformation” in January 2015, claiming Tom Petty, REM, The Who, Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen among musical influences.

Coming in January of 2018 is the band’s sophomore album, yet to be named, but sure to contain more of TGA’s signature sound in everything from love songs to “The Murder Farm.”

“It’s not a major departure from our first record, but lyrically it’s a little more topical; a little more about what’s going on today,” Workman said.

Workman is owner of Touchstone Data Systems, Cottrill works as information officer at United Hospital Center, Farmer is an in-house landman at EQT Production Company, Seamon is an attorney at Steptoe & Johnson and Wyatt – who, rather than timpani drum, typically plays saxophone – alto, soprano and baritone – is a well-known musician and band director.

Previously with The Grey Agents was John Forester, who works as physicians’ manager at UHC.